2020 BBC Proms – 17 July to 12 September

NOT THE PROMS AS WE KNOW THEM, THE PROMS AS WE NEED THEM

Unveiling the 2020 BBC Proms

17 July – 12 September 2020

  • This year marks 125 years since the first Proms season
  • The season will take on a unique format to reflect the times, with a compelling multi-platform offer
  • A unique First Night commission by Iain Farrington for a BBC Grand Virtual Orchestra to mark the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth
  • Plans for live performances later in the season culminating in the Last Night of the Proms to bring the nation together
  • The 2020 season will open on Friday 17 July on BBC Radio 3 and Sunday 19 July on BBC Four
  • 8 weeks of broadcasts on television, radio and online

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Educating Rita, says who?

The OED on education refers an inquirer through a Middle English (ME) root of educe meaning to bring out or develop (something latent or potential): very much Willy Russell’s territory in his melodramatic farce of 1980 at the Royal Shakespeare Company;  which in turn became an even more successful (1983) film of the same name. whose stage version also had the same leading actors as the film. But that is only half the story.

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IN CONVERSATION: Soprano Renée Fleming and ENB’s Artistic Director Tamara Rojo on the Art of Empathy

On Friday 15 May at 5pm BST (12pm EST), Renée Fleming (internationally renowned soprano, arts & health advocate, Artistic Advisor at Large to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts) and Tamara Rojo, CBE (Artistic Director and Lead Principal Dancer, English National Ballet) will meet for a virtual conversation discussing how the arts can contribute to holistic routes to wellbeing.

The Art of Empathy: Renée Fleming and Tamara Rojo on Creativity and Wellbeing will be led by Susan Boster (Founder and CEO, Boster Group). The conversation brings together these respected artists and arts leaders to discuss the cutting-edge work being done at the intersection of arts and science. They will also explore the inventive ways in which the arts aid physical recovery and measurably reduce depression and anxiety.

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ACCOMPANIST OR PARTNER? PIANIST SUSIE ALLAN IN CONVERSATION WITH JOHN QUINN

Susie Allan talks to John Quinn

Susie Allan (c) Bill Wyatt

A little while ago I read two online reviews of the same Lieder recital. The singer and pianist involved were both highly distinguished musicians in their own right and, in addition, have worked together in recital quite frequently in the past. Both reviews were written by experienced and knowledgeable reviewers but there was a significant difference between them. One, admittedly the longer of the two, commentated on both the singer and the pianist in almost equal measure. The other addressed the work and the performance of the singer but the contribution of the pianist was covered in a final short paragraph which consisted of just two sentences.

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Need to escape reality? Enter into the magical world of composer David Hertzberg

Swans welcomes guests to The Wake World at The Barnes Foundation © Dominic Mercier

Over a few days in early March, concert halls, opera houses and theaters went dark around the world in an attempt to halt the spread of the coronavirus. Countless works of music, both new and old, could not be performed, among them the premiere of a symphonic piece by the American composer David Hertzberg. Hertzberg gave the piece the working title Madig, a German word that may translate to worm-eaten but has a range of meanings in colloquial usage.

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Opera Philadelphia announces Digital Festival O

Opera Philadelphia’s Digital Festival O

We Shall Not Be Moved © Dave DiRentis

Opera Philadelphia will stream five operas in May 2020 as part of its Digital Festival O. Southeastern Pennsylvania, where Philadelphia is located, has been hit hard by the coronavirus, but at present there is hope that the peak of the epidemic has passed.

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